Since time immemorial, the problem of containing water has faced mankind but, in recent years, this problem has been increasing as the need for water holding areas has risen faster than populations and is now a problem facing all nations of the world. In general, this increasing need for water holding areas has been due to the problems of water pollution (and what to do with the contaminated water), the need for ever increasing food and thus the need for constructing water holding areas to supply water to arid areas so that said areas are capable of growing food, and the problem of constructing dams to hold flood waters as well as constructing hydroelectric plants.
For the most part, such problems would not exist if soil itself could be utilized to form the water holding areas; however, most soils are too porous to adequately serve this purpose because of the seepage of water from such water holding areas. It has heretofore been purposed to utilize bentonite in conjunction with soil to prevent seepage of water contained in such water holding areas. The reason for utilizing bentonite is because it swells when in contact with water thereby filling up or blocking the voids found in soil. Thus, bentonite has been partially satisfactory as a solution to forming water holding areas.
However, because bentonite is relatively expensive and because a significant amount is necessary under ordinary circumstances to produce a satisfactory water holding area, bentonite has not been as extensively utilized as it might be. The expense of bentonite is particularly important in view of the rapid increase in the necessity for building water holding areas.